Tag Archives: Stevia

Rip It Up

Yet another day where I find myself not wanting to write, but compelled to do so. I have a few threads that I could possibly make something out of. It could be a stretch, it could be patchwork. It could be a rhyme and it could be without reason.

Last night had dinner with Julio & Stine for Alexander’s birthday. Some kind of bratwurst, potatoes salad, chicken salad, homemade rye bread and salad with some wine and home made birthday cake.

We sang Happy Birthday to Alexander who shouted ‘No! No!’ throughout. I brought my guitar and strummed a bit, but Alexander didn’t care, not when there were crayons and Thomas the Tank Engine and friends to draw all of his attention. Julio and Stine appreciated it though.

I thought the wine buzz would be enough to make for a restful sleep but that was not to be. I didn’t take a melatonin before sleep and therefore didn’t sleep all that well.

For some reason I decided not to go into the kitchen and take one, so stubborn I was with myself. Lot’s of tossing and turning and in the midst of that I jacked up my knee a bit. Just made for some difficulty when I walked.

The whole ‘something’s not right with that knee’ feeling.

I did go out and play guitar today, played some Specials songs, naturally. Do Nothing and Gangsters. As expected no one paid much attention, but some drunkards settled in at the next bench. They really enjoyed my playing and would applaud after each song.

Then they would bicker and one would walk away. Then he would come back and sit. Eventually the two of them walked away for a while then came back and sat further away. When I was done playing I walked past them and they both commented that I was a good guitar player.

Then they bickered again.

I went to the supermarket, I was out of Stevia which I got as well as some Ramen noodles for the homeless shelter that was doing a collection outside the supermarket. Bought them some lentils too.

Came home to wake Bill up so he could get ready to drive down to Atlantic City again and found him awake and getting his act together.

Played some more guitar and watched Bewitched which is really a terrible show, or rather was a terrible show. Canned laughter! I’ll have a double, better make that a triple! Haw haw! Everybody drink and drive!

I couldn’t help but remember something from National Lampoon, a comic where Samantha and her mother are having sex with demons. Edna Kravitz, the nosy neighbor has her eyes burned out while spying on Samantha and her coven.

The comic ended with Samantha and Endora being burned at the stake, Endora spewing forth profanity at everyone involved.

Now that was funny.

No plans to do anything tonight. I did think about seeing A Hard Day’s Night at the Loews in Journal Square with Chaz and Andy but opting to stay home once again. Perhaps a walk later on.

Anything but writing.
Please.

one half of my audience

one half of my audience


Let It Down

Woke up with a cannabis hangover though I haven’t smoked it in a week now. Perhaps it’s leaving my body, leaving me, well, just leaving me I guess with vivid dreams.

Last night was about someone, maybe Bill switching the tables on me, taking my table which this computer is on and giving me a table I used to have back in Riverview Avenue. It was maybe 2 feet tall and a lot smaller. Don’t know what that is supposed to represent if it’s supposed to represent anything.

I had to get up earlier than I’ve been since I scheduled a visit from PSE&G for this morning between 8:00AM and 12:00PM. I made some coffee and did my usual routine. Online I got an instant message from Vinnie, who I used to work with in the Wanker Banker days.

He asked that I call him as soon as possible and so I did. I contacted Vinnie the other day regarding putting him down as a reference. I was apprehensive since his mother has been sick and in the hospital and I hoped my timing wouldn’t be awful. It wasn’t his mother just came home yesterday.

He was surprised that I’ve been out of work since July and he’d be more than happy to be a reference. We had a good talk and he had a suggestion that I should look into taking a real estate license test, figuring I would be good at that.

Vinnie said if he was going to buy some real estate, he’d buy it from someone like me. The funny thing is, yesterday while ambling around Hoboken where there is a real estate office on almost every block I passed by an office with a sign in their window suggesting a change of career, try real estate.

I thought I might do good in that so it’s actually something I was considering and Vinnie saying the same thing seemed fortuitous. He’s really a good guy and I am glad to have him in my corner. I even sent an email to a friend of Julio’s who did the same thing, got her broker license and now works in real estate.

Who knows? It seems like a good idea right now. I wished Vinnie and his wife and kids a Happy Thanksgiving and made tentative plans to meet up for a coffee down the line.

Walked around a bit today and stopped by a stationary store that had a help wanted sign in their window. I went in and asked if it was an off the books job and it wasn’t. They gave me an application and I started to fill it out, then I said that I was running late and would fill out the application at home and bring it back.

I’m not going to bring it back. I was hoping for a situation like Farfetched but obviously that wasn’t in the cards, so to speak.

Ran out of Stevia and so it was off to the A&P where I ran into Clara a girl I used to work with at that video store almost 20 years ago. She lives around the block and I see her every couple of months. She’s a happily married mom now with 2 kids.

We were close at one point but as it happened we drifted apart after I got fired from the video store after being caught doing something I shouldn’t have been doing while in the downward spiral I was in in the months following my mother’s passing.

It was good to see her though, she’s still a sweet heart though time and rumors widened the chasm between us. It was a day where former co-workers from my past popped up.

And then there’s Harpy. He pops up like clockwork. While I’m writing, or eating dinner, Harpy invariably calls. I don’t mind since I love Harpy and I know he loves me.

Had a good talk with my brother Brian last night. He’s a good guy and I love him a lot. We went though a lot of shit together and being the brother closest to me in age, a lot of fighting which he almost always won.

But that was then, here we are now and I consider him not just a brother but a very dear friend. I’m sure he doesn’t understand things about me but I know he’s there for me and I am there for him, lending an ear whenever possible.

Played guitar today as well, learning some Paul Simon songs since if I’m going to be busking, it’s good to play songs that people know, rather than going for songs that maybe be cool to me, but unknown to most.

I mean, I’d love to play All Tomorrows Parties by the Velvet Underground and singing it like Nico would, but really, would the people walking by the riverside know what I was singing? More than likely not, so I’ll play Me & Julio by the Schoolyard or Kodachrome and be happy with that and hopefully get some greenbacks in my guitar case.

And with that, I will wish you all, or the both of you, a very Happy Thanksgiving. Don’t know when I’ll be posting, we’re heading upstate and if we don’t catch the 6:00 train getting into Hoboken around 9:00, we’ll catch the 9:00 train, getting into Hoboken around midnight.

So Happy Thanksgiving from me.